It’s A Vegan World: Mexican

As much as Desi and I love to travel, we rarely ever consider going back to places we’ve visited because there is so much more world left to see. But if there is one country I’ve been to that I would return to in a heartbeat, it would have to be Mexico.

There’s something magical about our neighbor to the south, and I don’t just mean the gorgeous but tourist-crammed beaches, mountains and valleys. There’s the warmth of the people, the lure of its history and legend, and the food, oh, the food.

I think one of the reasons I love Mexican food as much as I do is because it reminds my tastebuds just a little bit of of their native favorite, Indian food.

Like Indians, Mexicans eat a lot of rice and beans, and they light it all up with plenty of heat. In fact, just thinking of all those gorgeous South American chili peppers makes my head spin and my mouth water. Habaneros, jalapenos, serranos, anaheims, poblanos…how can anything cooked with all that raging, fiery flavor be anything but delicious.

So for the month of March, as we shake off the last of the winter blues, I thought we’d live it up a bit with the brilliant cuisine of Mexico. There’s plenty to cook up that’s divinely vegan: salsas, guacamoles, tortillas, tamales, quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, flans, and so much more….your creativity is the limit.

I am going to throw open this event for guest hosts starting next month. The super-creative Priya of Akshayapaatram will host it in April, but for anyone who is interested in hosting it thereafter, just drop me an email at myveganworld@gmail.com. Let me know if there is any particular country/region you’d like to feature.

I had a truly wonderful response to the first month of IAVW, when we featured Italian cuisine. I am completely in awe of all the creativity you guys showed by cooking up vegan versions of your popular Italian favorites. I’ll be posting that roundup in the coming week. And in case you want to send something in, there’s still time until tomorrow!

I couldn’t participate in the Italian event as I was busy in moving and stuff. But I am not going to miss this event. I will definitely send something dear! I promise I won’t recycle old posts, ha ha ha! Best wishes!

I remember an Indian/Mexican restaurant on Macdougal St. in NYC which, unfortunately, no longer exists. The two cuisines complemented each other very well. It’s hard to find a Mexican restaurant to eat at if you are vegan or vegetarian though, what with lard and chicken stock, etc. I’m not sure a vegan could eat in a restaurant in Mexico. Do you know otherwise?

TheChicGeek, Thanks for your kind words. Feel free to ask any questions if you try any of the recipes. And hope you had a nice weekend!

Cham, That’s wonderful. I’ll look forward to seeing what you cook up!

Uma, Hope you had a good move. Looking forward to your entry!

Poornima,Asha, Looking forward to your entries, too.

Lavi, Mexican rice sounds divine. Would love to see the recipe!

Kahliyalogue, Hope you send something in– I’d love to see what you come up with.

Anonymous, A Mexican-Indian restaurant sounds great. Sorry it closed, but I can imagine how the flavors must have really complemented each other.Out here in suburban Washington it’s not hard for me to find Mexican restaurants that serve at least a few vegan dishes, and I always check with them on the stock/fat they use. I would guess most major cities would be the same.